Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif has filed an appeal against World Boxing’s decision to bar her from competition unless she undergoes mandatory genetic sex testing.
The 26-year-old Algerian boxer, who won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the women’s welterweight division, was previously disqualified from the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships just before the gold-medal bout over alleged eligibility concerns.
The specifics of those tests remain undisclosed, but she was later cleared by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete in Paris.
Following her Olympic victory, Khelif publicly rejected widespread speculation and misinformation about her gender, calling the accusations "false and hurtful."
In May 2025, World Boxing—the new global governing body for the sport—introduced a controversial policy mandating genetic sex testing for all female boxers.
The rule requires athletes to undergo testing for the Y chromosome via a PCR swab or blood test to verify eligibility to compete in the female category.
In an announcement, World Boxing explicitly named Khelif, stating that Imane Khelif “may not participate in the female category at any World Boxing event until [she] undergoes genetic sex screening in accordance with World Boxing’s rules.”
This policy has effectively banned the reigning Olympic welterweight champion from all sanctioned competitions.
Khelif is now challenging the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
She maintains that her legal documents, including her birth certificate and passport, confirm her as female, and she has never identified otherwise.
She says the enforced testing is an affront to her dignity, and believes the ban is baseless and discriminatory, particularly given her compliance with Olympic eligibility rules and her clean competition history.
World Boxing has yet to comment further on the appeal.
Source: Love B Scott
